Vergil (DmC)

Vergil is the leader of "" and twin brother of in DmC: Devil May Cry. As Dante's older brother, he is a Nephilim born to the demon and the angel. He opposes 's tyrannical rule over humanity, and enlists his brother's help in gaining revenge on the demon king for tearing their family apart. After Mundus' defeat, Vergil reveals his dark intentions, thus becoming the final boss in the game. He is also the protagonist of "Vergil's Downfall", an additional DLC chapter for the game that picks up where the story of the main game ends.

Appearance
As Dante's younger brother, he bears a close resemblance to his brother, and has blue-gray eyes, and their facial structure is modeled after Dante's voice actor, Tim Phillips. However, while Dante's hair is black, Vergil's is white. He wears a dark coat with a long tail on the right side, and a collar with a larger left side. There is a Brassard on the left bicep of the coat, which also has blue, ornate scrollwork sewn into the left side of the upper back, and a blue lining. Vergil's hands are covered by white gloves, and he wears blue dress slacks, with black leather shoes. When out in public, he often hides his silver hair underneath a black homburg with curled brim sides. He also wears his half of their mother's amulet, a pendant identical to Dante's, albeit blue in coloring.

When issuing videos for The Order, Vergil wears a silver mask with a menacing, toothy grin quite similar to Jester's face from Devil May Cry 3 and uses a voice distorter.

After becoming corrupt, Vergil's appearance is similar to that of his original counterpart's "corrupt Vergil" his hair becomes unkept and swept back, his skin pales, showing some of its veins, and though he loses his pupils and his irises become orange, these changes are eclipsed by the bright light his eyes radiate. His coat, while remaining black, acquires a white tint in the collar, and his sleeves and hands constantly emit a white aura.

Interstingly, his facial features are very similar to that of his classic counterpart's helmetless Nelo Angelo appearance.

Personality
Just as Vergil and Dante styles of fighting differ, so do their personalities. Vergil's personality is almost the exact opposite of Dante: calm, intelligent, respectful, and polite. He also has a deep love for his brother, as shown by their various interactions. Vergil found it absurd when Mundus demanded to trade Kat for Dante. His love for Dante is also shown when they playfully argue over which of them was better. He was deeply hurt when Dante betrayed him, stating that he "loved him".

After Mundus's death, Vergil reveals his darker side. He is manipulative and willing to use anybody to achieve his objectives, as shown when he stated that Kat was useful. He sees humanity as weak and needing to be guided by someone, namely himself. Vergil believed that humans would fight each other to grab power, and it was his intention to unite humanity under his flag. Because of these views, he came to blows with his brother.

During Vergil's Downfall, his 'betrayal' at the hands of Dante caused his mind to change. He became ruthless, cold, and power-hungry, desiring absolute power. He would cut down anyone who stood in his way of gaining power as he killed any feelings he had for Kat, Dante and his mother. He resents Dante for always being better than him. He also showed that he resented his mother for playing favorites with him and his brother, for showing more love for Dante. He also believed what his parents taught him was wrong and believed power was the only thing that mattered to him.

DmC: Devil May Cry
Vergil is the son of the demon Sparda and angel Eva, and is thus a Nephilim like his twin brother Dante. Although the two were close as children, their idyllic life was shattered when Mundus attacked their mansion and murdered their mother. Before Sparda was hunted down and imprisoned, he took the children on the run, and in order to protect them, he erased their memories and separated them, leaving Dante at St. Lamia's Orphanage. Vergil, however, was adopted into a rich home to live a life of privilege, with the explanation that he had suffered amnesia from a car accident. Highly intelligent, Vergil wrote a security encryption program and went on to become an independently wealthy multi-millionaire before leaving school. He eventually discovered the truth of his past and decided to eliminate Mundus. To this end, he founded with the funds from his skill as a hacker, and began working to reveal the truth of the world to the people of Limbo City, as well as to undermine Mundus's own organization. Despite Vergil wearing a mask in all of The Order's videos, Mundus has pictures of Vergil's face and is aware he is part of The Order. However, he remains unaware that Vergil is a Nephilim.

Just before the Hunter ambushes Dante at the pier, Vergil issues a new video to the media informing the city that they must wake up, while also sending Kat to rescue Dante and guide him to The Order's base. When Dante arrives, Vergil introduces himself, and explains that although Dante doesn't recognize him, they are in fact twin brothers separated by Mundus's evil. He asks Dante to assist him in his battle against Mundus, and when Dante replies that he prefers his own methods of bull-rushing the demons, he replies that although he can't stop Dante from leaving, it would still be a mistake, and pleads with his brother to at least accompany him to their old home.

Dante agrees, and so Kat and Vergil take Dante to the abandoned mansion. As Kat opens a gate to Limbo for Dante, Vergil explains that this trip will let Dante remember his past. After Dante returns through gateway, he reunites with Vergil, who explains everything that Dante needs to know about his family, Mundus and the fact the twins are Nephilim, the only beings who can slay the demon king. However, they are found by a Looker, and although Vergil quickly executes it, Dante is dragged into Limbo, so Vergil goes to find Kat to help Dante again.

After Dante is pulled out of Limbo, Vergil brings him back to The Order’s hideout, laying out his plan on defeating Mundus. The first step is to break the demon king’s rule over mankind. They need to take out the Raptor News Network, which monitors the humans, and the Virility soda drink, which keeps them docile. These actions will catch Mundus’ attention and draw him away from the Hell Gate, which is the source of his power and immortality. Once Mundus’ link to the gate is severed, he will be mortal, giving them the chance to kill him. With the full plan revealed, Vergil explains that Mundus doesn’t know of his existence so he needs to stay hidden. But the demon king is aware of Dante, so Vergil warns him to stay low.

He then sends his brother and Kat to the Virility factory for their first mission. There Dante kills the succubus named Poison, who is the drink’s secret ingredient that weakens humans. With the objective completed, Vergil reunites with them on a city bridge, where Raptor News Tower is in clear sight. To take out the news corporation, Vergil and Kat tell Dante that he must reach the tower in Limbo and kill the demon running the network: news reporter Bob Barbas. Vergil informs Dante that he must complete the mission on his own since Kat cannot come with him. Dante reassures Kat and enters Limbo, falling through the bridge and into the upside-down realm.

However, during Dante’s absence, The Order’s hideout is found and invaded by SWAT teams, who mercilessly kill a majority of the organization’s members. In the Octagon room Vergil is trapped in Limbo by a Butcher who corners him. After Dante rescues him, Vergil explains that he needs to destroy his data, saying that their enemies will learn all of his plans if they find it. Despite Dante’s protests, Vergil has Kat arm the self-destruct as he cannot do it from Limbo. He then demands Dante to buy them some time, giving him the Revenant shotgun for help. Once Vergil and Kat finish, SWAT is almost through. Vergil then proceeds to leave, telling Dante that they cannot save Kat because she’s in the real world and they’re in Limbo. Eventually, the brothers escape while SWAT storms in and captures Kat. Vergil and Dante exit from Limbo and leave the crumbling facility behind.

As they hide in a safe house, Vergil receives a video message from Mundus, who demands a trade: Kat's life, for Dante's. Vergil realizes that Mundus knows less than he thought, unaware that he is Dante’s brother and also a Nephilim. As for Kat, Vergil argues that they cannot give up Dante's life for hers, but a stubborn Dante suggests that they trade Lilith for Kat, instead, explaining that Lilith is valuable to Mundus because she carries his child. Vergil argues against this plan, as they could use Lilith to lure Mundus out of his lair and slay him once and for all, but Dante insists on his suggestion. Seeing that his brother will not change his mind, Vergil reluctantly agrees and searches the Internet for information about Lilith. He finds that she runs the Devil's Dalliance, using demonic substances to turn her guests into Lookers. That night, Dante gets inside the nightclub and fights Lilith, defeating her and her child. When Dante brings her back, Vergil records him as he makes his counter proposal to Mundus.

The brothers set up the trade at the docks, where a SWAT teams arrives to deliver Kat. The brothers and the police point their guns at each other as the women walk towards their respective sides. However Vergil kills Lilith and her child, causing a gun battle between the two sides. Vergil shoots down the SWAT team while Dante saves Kat. As they make their escape, they are sucked into Limbo by a furious Mundus. As Vergil’s car is constantly blocked by debris, Dante helps him and Kat by clearing the path and prevent their deaths.

Back at the safe house, Kat shows Vergil and Dante a layout of the Silver Sacks Tower. She explains that since Mundus has weakened because of his previous outburst, they now have a chance to kill him. The brothers then infiltrate the tower from different areas. Vergil sneaks through the back door undetected while Dante enters from the front and distracts Mundus. From the security rooms, Vergil helps his brother by overriding the security program, removing lasers that were blocking the path. During one of their brief reunions, Vergil gives Dante the Kablooey firearm, having taken it from a security guard he defeated. At the top, the brothers proceed to Mundus’ chamber together, but their path is blocked when the vault closes. After restarting the generators, Vergil hides near the entrance while his brother confronts the demon king alone.

Dante manages to arouse Mundus’ anger by sneering about the death of his child, but is blasted out of the tower and pinned down by the demon king. Vergil quickly takes the opportunity and enters Mundus’ chambers. With the Yamato, he closes the Hell Gate, rendering the demon king’s immortality. Vergil then teleports to Mundus, who is about to rip Dante’s heart out and stabs him in the back, telling him to leave his brother alone. Mundus falls on top of a car below, but does not die as he rises up, revealing his true form. As they dodge his attacks, Vergil tells Dante to distract him while he tries to open the third eye. He then summons projectile swords and attacks the demon king. But Mundus overpowers him, proceeding to crush him. Dante saves him by unleashing his Devil Trigger and stunning the demon king, allowing Vergil to attack the eye and force it open. Dante takes the opportunity and slams a punch at Mundus’ face, but the demon king pulls him off and throws him off. As Dante is knocked out and falls, Vergil quickly teleports and grabs him, landing safely inside a nearby building. They see that they have made cracks of Mundus’ shell, and his true body is at the core. However as he attacks them again, Vergil is sucked into the core and is forced to fight the demon king inside. But after breaking the outer shell, Dante bursts inside and kills Mundus with one slice. The brothers then escape together as the demon king’s body erupts and explodes.

With the threat of Mundus now eliminated, Vergil was free to reveal his true ambition: To rule humanity as a protective master. Viewing humans as frail, clumsy children, he concludes that they need supervision to protect themselves from themselves. This revelation creates a rift between the re-united brothers, as Dante refuses to rule alongside him. Unable to convince Dante otherwise, Vergil attacks. The brother engage in a fierce battle, but Dante proves victorious and nearly murders Vergil in a furious rage, though his life was spared with Kat's plea. Dante helps Vergil to his feet, the two exchange glares as Vergil leaves with a sorrowful "I loved you, brother," then opens a portal with Yamato and departs.

Vergil's Downfall
Following his defeat at the hands of Dante, Vergil, severely injured by the fight, stumbles to a grave with a photo of his family. He collapses and seemingly plummets into the depths of hell. There he hears the voices of his mother, who urges him to find the light and escape. As he battles through the denizens of Hell, Vergil is met by a phantasmal version of himself. The Hollow Vergil takes the true Vergil's heart and sends him on a quest throughout hell to find Kat and Dante.

Vergil proceeds, cutting through hordes of devils to find Kat being hunted by a demon. Soon after rescuing her, Vergil finds that this Kat is a phantasm, and slices it down, cutting off a part of his human heart. Returning to the Hollow, he learns of Dante being somewhere in the netherworld. Vergil descends further into Hell to find him, and is taunted by the ghostly visage of his brother as he chases him across Hell. After an intense battle with his "brother", he kills him, taking Dante's amulet as his prize, cutting off yet another part of his heart. The Hollow then sends Vergil to find his mother. Battling through more demon hordes, he finds his mother being attacked by a great demon. He dispatches the beast, but all is not well. Vergil shows Dante's amulet, and claims him dead, and that he was the killer. Eva is distraught at what Vergil had become, as her son tells her that he has discarded his heart. Vergil leaves his mother behind, leaving her crying for him. The last tormented part of his heart is gone.

He confronts Hollow Vergil, desiring the azure amulet that the Hollow wore around his neck, and the two battle. Vergil defeats his Hollow, absorbing it's power, but his appearance is altered; his eyes now glow just like a demon and his hair is sticking upwards. Vergil finally leaves the underworld, but is met by a parade of devils. The leader roars at him, but Vergil's eyes glow a demonic red, causing the demons to bow to him. Cracking an evil smile, Vergil leads his new demon army, as the new Demon King.

Powers and abilities
As a Nephilim, Vergil is almost as powerful as his brother, and is able to freely move between the worlds (but not Limbo), usually by using Yamato. Vergil is highly intelligent and skilled in hacking and computers, claiming he learned it during his youth to provide himself "some feeling of control." His hand-eye coordination and weapon handling skills are also formidable, as he was able to snipe Lilith's unborn child and most of 's SWAT team in a few seconds. He also was able to unerringly hit one of Mundus's watcher demons with a throwing knife a few seconds after spotting the creature.

In battle, he wields Yamato with deadly efficiency and is capable of performing wide assortment of magic feats and tricks, such as a short-ranged teleport, though this leaves a smoky blue aura in his wake, conjuring summoned swords that act as a long range attack; a charged dive kick that highly resembles the original Vergil's Starfall (minus Beowulf). He is also able to use Slash Dimension, an attack not used by his namesake but by the classic Dante. Activating Devil Trigger, which, to contrast the Quicksilver-like performance of Dante's Devil Trigger, is instead reminiscent of the Doppelganger Style, allowing him to create a spectral copy of himself to aid him in battle and defend him while he recovers health.

In Vergil's Downfall, Vergil -unlike Dante- has the unique ability to teleport out of any attack at any time effectively "canceling" the attack. This includes Angel Pulling, Trick Up and Trick Down. Adding to his versatility is his use of summoned swords, his most devastating summoned sword technique being spiral swords. He also uses powerful "perfect charge" variants of three of his attacks which render him temporarily invulnerable for a split second and always stagger or lift any kind of opponent. Furthermore; once he acquires the Doppelganger ability he becomes highly resistant to damage and deals more damage. While his regeneration is slower than Dante's; he makes up for this in sheer attack power. All of these abilities combined give Vergil full control over the tide of battle at all times and allow him to efficiently dispose of his enemies with little to no trouble as opposed to Dante's stylish and flashier combat style which is more for playing around with enemies.

After defeating Hollow Vergil and reabsorbing his magic, Vergil acquires his full power and becomes, effectively, the new Demon King and King of Hell. His influence over demons is shown when, upon being approached by a hoarde of hostile demons, Vergil's eyes fill with fire and the demons immediately stop and bow to him. The true extent of his powers after becoming the new Demon King is unknown, but it is heavily implied that he surpassed Dante's current power level.

Vergil also possesses the standard Nephilim abilities of superhuman reflexes, speed, endurance and agility; being able to block most of Dante's attacks, as well as deflect bullets and projectiles with Yamato. Vergil is also very strong and strikes with considerable force, enough to knock Dante several feet away and block most of Dante's more powerful attacks by merely swiping Yamato's sheath out. He makes extensive use of Blistering Swords, using Yamato to fling Judgement Cuts in tandem with his teleportation abilities, or to summon lightning strikes as he slashes.

Background
Vergil is named after the Roman poet Publius Vergilius Maro. In The Divine Comedy, Vergil acts as Dante's guide through Hell and Purgatory. Although Virgil was virtuous, his lack of Christian faith prevented him from entering Heaven.

Vergil's role as the Masked Man and his broadcasts are similar to V, the main protagonist of the V for Vendetta comics. V was well known for broadcasting messages to a corrupt British government as warnings for an upcoming rebellion. Some fans also speculate that his masked appearances reference the famous hacktivist group, Anonymous.

Trivia

 * According to the designer from Ninja Theory, each Hollow character represented a specific personality trait. Hollow Vergil represents "Vergil's self doubt" (notice how he becomes more confident during & after the confrontation), Hollow Kat represents his "humanity" (notice how he just ruthlessly slays Dante and how cold he acts toward Eva), Eva represents his origins and by leaving her, he is reborn and now in control of his own fate.


 * Phineas foreshadows Vergil becoming evil when he says, "If you do kill Mundus, who will take his place?"
 * The Hollow manifestations of the characters weren't meant to be a homage to the manga Bleach. Instead they were inspired by the poem "The Hollow Men" by T.S. Eliot.
 * Hollow Dante claims at one point during Vergil chasing him that Vergil is the youngest out of the twins.
 * Unlike Classic Vergil, DmC's Vergil seems comfortable to using gun based weapons when he needs to, however much like his classic counter-part he doesn't use any firearms when fighting in game.